Logos Pathos Ethos, September 2018

Here’s your selection of the best quotes and speeches delivered over the summer.

Stories emerge as a leading theme.

Why do we tell stories?

Why is it important to tell them?

Why do they work so powerfully in speeches?

Of course, I mean well-chosen and well-told stories. The Bibliography section on this website has several references that explain what a story is (in contrast to anecdotes), how to set the scene and build the character so that the audience will be eager to listen to what happens next and will remember your message.

I mention this story for three reasons. First, I want to pay tribute to Mr Brookins and all other American soldiers for their courage and bravery (…). Secondly, because many (…) who were there that day in December 1944 are no longer around to tell the story themselves. (…)The third reason is that this story shows the unbreakable bond that makes the transatlantic partnership what it is. This bond explains a lot about how we have been able to come so far together.

In 1946, the nations of the world were meeting in San Francisco to design the Charter of the United Nations. Their focus was on the main problems of that day- preventing war and preserving peace. They did not want to talk about global health – let alone build a single organisation to protect it.

But three delegates thought otherwise. And they were stubborn. Of course, they were the only three doctors in the room.

Karl Evang from Norway, Smezing Sze from China and Geraldo Souza from Brazil. Simply because they shared a profession, they decided to meet and enjoy lunch together.

Who doesn’t want to know what these three stubborn doctors managed to get out of this lunch ?

To see how to weave the theme of the day in the speech and how the story comes full circle

The power of the Why question: Why are we (the speaker and the audience) here together?

This (event) is a unique occasion to jointly reflect on our future. After all, a continent does not wake up every morning and asks itself difficult questions about where it wants to be in 30 years, how it wants to get there, what kind of legacy it will pass on to the next generations, and what kind of economy and society it will leave behind. We always tend to have more urgent tasks, closer objectives, lower hanging fruits, and quicker wins. There's always 'someone else' to think about the longer term.